the_third_crusade_robloxfandomcom-20200214-history
The December Campaign
The December Campaign was a massive resurgence of victories for The Crusader States. After the anti-Crusaders conquered Jerusalem on October 13, 2018, the Crusaders fell into a slump. The campaign launched by them later on ended two months of anti-Crusader hegenomy over the entire community. Background On October 3, 2018, RobloxusDeSable returned to the helm of the Knights Templar Order. That day, the newly returned Grandmaster helped lead the Crusader States to victory at Cairo against the anti-Crusaders. Things seemed good for a little while. Bloodshed at Jerusalem - October 13 The Crusaders and anti-Crusaders were neck and neck at the October 13 Road Battle, but it ended in a controversial anti-Crusader victory after a ruling by developer TripleFrequency allowed the anti-Crusaders to claim victory via an illegal capture path running directly from Saladin's Camp to Lake's View, and from there to Ascalon. With this, the anti-Crusaders quickly filled into Jerusalem and conquered it. The Aftermath - October 14 and Beyond Following the devastating loss of the holy city, Crusader activity slumped miserably while the anti-Crusaders made use of a large boost in membership. An overwhelming European contingent of Byzantines allowed the anti-Crusaders to establish dominance over the rest of the community. Seeking to combat this, RobloxusDeSable tried to make use of the community-hopping Solum/Exitium family. He quickly found himself being taken advantage of by their deputy, DemicusSolum, when the validity of trainings and promotions of several family members came into question. This was exacberated by a growing rift between the Solums/Exitiums and the rest of the Templars. During the Solums' presence in the Templars, the Crusaders took Jerusalem again on November 3 by way of their overwhelming numbers, only to lose it the next week on November 10. On November 9, 2018, Zachary8261 took the reigns as King of Sicily, replacing the retiring baracuta. The rest of the community noticed a parallel between the summer's Templar takeover by the Arkedeon family and these events. The Solum/Exitium family's time in the Templars lasted from mid-October to November 11, when RobloxusDeSable awakened and cast out the Solums. On November 14, 2018, SeraphMichael became the Sultan of the Ayyubids once again. Throughout the next month, the anti-Crusaders and the Assassins defeated the Crusaders in battle after battle, from the snowy mountains of Malbork to the hot desert sands of Palmyra Oasis. The massive amount of disconnect between the Crusader factions did not help either Winter Comes On December 1, the Crusaders forced the anti-Crusaders back to Saladin's Camp and attacked Cairo, but failed to take it. Nevertheless, this marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Crusaders. The Crusader factions each began their own metamorphoses, re-evaluating their training and recruiting processes, and engaging in massive recruiting campaigns. This was further helped by the revival of the genre's Sponsored Sunday campaign. On December 5, 2018, Hospitaller Grandmaster IcecubeBlitz was replaced by ZbrowenI, and King of Sicily Zachary8261 was replaced by SeraphOmaar, at the direction of Mithandir. Another negative factor for the Crusader States was the Road Battle tactics used by the anti-Crusader States to avoid any confrontation with the Crusaders. This consisted of letting the Assassins capture Saladin's Camp, and happened for weeks on end. The New Capture System - Renewed Hope for the Crusaders On December 11, 2018, an update was rolled out by the new developer team, led by gitrog and aadumb. Branded part 1 of the new capture system, it permitted the siezure of non-capital bases when an official raid is won by the attackers. This meant that all bases, besides Jaffa, Cairo, and Masyaf, were now conquerable. The first capture under the new system was accomplished by the Crusaders at Alamut, siezing the legendary fortress from the Assassins. However, an hour later, the anti-Crusaders captured the base from the Crusaders. On December 13, 2018, the anti-Crusaders seemed unfazed by the Crusaders' sudden show of power, capturing Malbork with ease, and then Krak des Chevalliers on December 14. However, that December 14, something peculiar happened. The Crusaders surprised the anti-Crusaders after a training and recaptured Malbork. That same night, the Crusaders conquered Siracusa and sacked Masyaf. All the hard work the Crusaders' leadership put in to rejuvenating their state had finally begin to pay off. On December 15, the Crusaders sacked Masyaf again, and also liberated Krak des Chevalliers, and held back the anti-Crusaders at Kerak. That same day, during the Road Battle, the Assassins tried but failed to recapture Alamut. December 16 saw the Templars carry out a coordinated strike against some Assassins before retreating to Jaffa. The Assassins followed and initiated an attack on the base, which was thwarted by the quick response of the Crusaders. On December 17, the Crusaders responded with another siege at Masyaf, once again ending in a Crusader victory. On December 20, the Crusaders sacked both Masyaf and Cairo. On December 21, the Crusaders quashed the anti-Crusaders at Jaffa after the anti-Crusaders rallied under the guise of a training to surprise raid Jaffa. On December 22, the winning streak of the Crusaders was ended by a failed Crusader siege of Cairo. However, a revenge attack on Jaffa saw the anti-Crusaders too fail. That same night, the Kerak-Masyaf Christmas Massacre took place. Liberation of Jerusalem - December 23 On December 23, two astonishing upsets happened after months of work. First, in the morning, the Crusaders undertook a surprise raid of Palmyra Oasis, conquering it after much lag. In the afternoon, the anti-Crusaders were dealt a devastating triple blow to the gut. First, the defection of Byzantine TheMagic_Cristi to the Templars saw the anti-Crusaders' battle plan be leaked to the Crusaders. Then, the simultaneous resignations of Byzantine Emperor Leozan_Gallente and Seljuk Sultan Delvyx left half the anti-Crusader factions in disarray. In the last Road Battle to ever occur, the Crusaders rallied 4 times the anti-Crusaders' numbers, and savagely marched on Ascalon. At last, the cries of liberation had arrived on the streets of Jerusalem. The day saw a Christian Jerusalem rise once more